House building elements



Jan. 4, 1966 K. E. E. ANDERSSON HOUSE BUILDING ELEMENTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 9, 1963 L km N .N L w INVENTOR. KARL ERIK EVHLD HIYDERSSON HTTORNEYS J 9 K. E. E. ANDERSSON 3,227,062

HOUSE BUILDING ELEMENTS Filed July 9, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

FIG. 3

IN V EN TOR.

KARL ERIK Iii ALP ANDERSSON "w ATTORNEY 1966 K. E. E. ANDERSSON 3,

HOUSE BUILDING ELEMENTS Filed July 9, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 m mmw 2 w m INVENTOR.

KARL ERIK EVALD ANDERSSON ait "WM nT-rormEYs United States Patent 0 M HOUSE BUHDENG ELEMENTS Karl Erik Evald Andersson, Dalangen, .llungskola, Sweden Filed July 9, 1963, Ser. No. 293,697 Claims priority, application Sweden, July 31, 1962, 8,384/ 62 4 Claims. (Cl. 98-33) The invention relates to house building elements and more particularly to such elements comprising a sheet roof section and a sheet ceiling section and supporting members likewise of sheet provided between said sections and extending substantially along the whole width of said sections and connecting the same so that said parts together form a mountable unit.

An object of the invention is to form a strong and rigid unit of said kind which, though having relatively great surface measures, will be relatively light and handy in mounting thereof in the erection of a house.

Another object of the invention is to provide elements or units of said kind which will ofier great possibilities for an effective heat insulation of the room of the house covered by the elements or units.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an element or unit of said kind apt to serve for supply of heated cold or fresh air to the room covered by the e1ement or unit and for removal of consumed air from said room.

Other objects of the invention will be made clear by the following description.

According to the invention the sheet supporting members between the roof and ceiling sections are united in the form of a framework forming together with the roof and ceiling sections in vertical cross-section substantially triangular channels located side by side the bases of which are formed alternately by the roof section and the ceiling section. By this means a self-supporting roof and ceiling element in one unit will be obtained by the use of thin sheet such as a sheet of light metal. Said channels may serve as ducts for heated, cold or fresh air to and for consumed air from the room of a house erected with the present building elements. In prior building elements of this kind having framework support between the roof and the ceiling, said framework supports are made from rods which, however, are unable to serve the objects aimed at by the present invention.

The house building element according to the invention includes in a unit the function of a truss and the functions of roof and ceiling sections which latter also are essential for adsorbing the stresses in the element in question.

The roof and ceiling element may be provided to cover the whole span between two opposite walls of the build ing, or also the ceiling and roof sections of one unit may cover only a portion of said span. In this latter case the roof and ceiling sections are combined with a wall element comprising outer and inner sheet wall sections and a sheet framework provided between said wall sections and forming together with the roof and ceiling sections and the framework thereof the mountable unit.

The invention will be described more in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing some embodiments of the invention. FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a gable of a roof and ceiling element resting on two opposite building walls. FIGURE 1A is a similar view of a modified embodiment. FIGURE 2 is a section on the line 11-11 of FIGURE 1 and showing the joint between two adjacent roof and ceiling elements. FIG- URE 3 is a section on the line IlI-Ill of FIGURE 1 3,2Zifl'62 Patented Jan. 4-, 1%56 and FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of a gable of another embodiment of the invention.

The embodiment of the invention shown by FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 comprises a combined roof and ceiling element with a roof section 2 falling to both sides from a ridge 1. A lower edge 3 of the roof section 2 merges into a substantially horizontal ceiling section 5 which may be of the same material as the roof section. Thus, the roof and ceiling sections 2 and 5 respectively may be formed from a single continuous, bent strip of a plate or sheet the opposite ends of which are united at the edge 4 opposite to the before mentioned edge 3 to a frame-shaped unit by riveting or welding, for example. Between the roof and ceiling sections a framework 6 also of plate or sheet is provided, said framework extending substantially along the whole width of the combined roof and ceiling element measured in the longitudinal direction of the ridge 1. This framework may consist of a single folded or bent sheet or plate (FIGURE 1A), but according to FIGURE 1 it consists of two framework parts which are united or bear against each other in the vertical plane llII with which the ridge ll coincides.

In order to obtain a roof and ceiling element with the required bending resistance in the use of a material for such element of thin sheet or plate of iron, light metal or plastic or other suitable material all plate or sheet members of the roof and ceiling element are corrugated. The corrugations of the roof section runs from the ridge 1 to the edges or eaves .3 and 4 respectively, and the corrugations of the ceiling run from the edge or eaves at one side to the edge or eaves at the opposite side of the roof and ceiling element. The corrugations of the inclined or vertical sheet or plate portions of the framework run in the height direction of said portions.

As shown by FIGURES 2 and 3 the upper and lower edges 7 of the framework plates e are undulated and fitted in the corrugations of the roof and ceiling sections 2, 5. At the tops and/or bottoms of the undulations and corrugations the framework members are secured to said sections by means of rivets, screw bolts or welding (spot Welding).

According to the width of the roof (measured in the direction of the ridge 1) the required number of roof and ceiling elements are placed side by side on the walls 8 of the house buildings, and these elements may be entirely without any support between these walls without any noticeable deflection of the ceiling 5. The element may, for example, be made of rather thin sheet of aluminum alloy and is consequently light in spite of its large extent and may be handled with-out difiiculties in the mounting thereof. In respect of rigidity it may be compared with a trussed beam the head and foot of which is formed by the roof section 2 and ceiling section 5 respectively and the web of which is formed by the framework 6. The element also permits a relatively great free span between the suports 8. Since the framework plates are fixedly connected to the sections .2, 5 along the Whole width of these sections, the connection between these sections will be much more effective than in use of usual roof trusses. The ceiling and roof sections 2 and 5 and the framework plate 6 delimit channels 9 of triangular cross-section the bases of which are formed alternately by the roof and by the ceiling section. The surfaces of these channels may be covered by heat insulation material 14 preferably of fireproof character such as rock wool or glass wool.

Said channels d may also be used as ducts for air currents for heating, cooling or ventilation of the room or space 15 of a house covered by the elements 2, 5, 6. For example, a channel 9 near the ridge l or center of the roof may be connected to the room 15 by an adjustable nozzle or opening 16 for suction of consumed air from said room by a fan 17 and supply of warm, cold or fresh air be effected through another channel or channels 9 through one or more nozzles or openings 18 into the room 15 in the directions indicated by arrows 19 or in inversed directions.

In order to cover the joint between two elements of ceiling and roof sections, the sheet metal section 2 at one edge prependicular to the vertical plane IIII or ridge 1, has portion 10 overlapping the edge portion of adjacent sheet metal section 2 as shown by FIGURE 2. Likewise, one edge of the sheet metal section perpendicular to the plane 11-11 by a portion 11 overlaps the edge portion of the adjacent ceiling sheet. The overlapping portions at and 11 are joined to each other by screw bolts, rivets or welding.

According to the embodiment of FIGURE 1A the framework of an element 2, 5, 6 is formed by a single sheet or plate 6 which is placed symmetrically in respect of the vertical plane with which the ridge 1 coincides, and a fewer number of channels 9 are provided. As an example it may be mentioned that warm air under pressure is conducted through the central channel 9 and the adjustable inlet or nozzle 18 into the room 15, and consumed air is conducted from the room 15 through the adjustable outlets or nozzles 16 by suction fans 17 as indicated by the arrows.

In the embodiments described a single roof and ceiling element 2, 5, 6 extends between two opposite supports or house building walls 8. Each element 2, 5, 6 may also be provided to cover only a portion of the span between said walls, such as the half of the span as shown by FIGURE 4. According to this FIGURE 4 two inclining ceiling and roof elements are provided lending support and united to each other along the ridge 1 by means of welding, rivets or screws. These two elements are each rigidly connected to a wall element formed by an outer wall section 12 and an inner wall section 13 of substantially the same width as that of the sections 2 and 5 of the roof and the ceiling. The framework 6' between the outer and inner wall sections 12 and 13 forms horizontal channels 9' and may be of the same character as the framework or works 6 between the roof and ceiling sections so that framework 6 corresponds to the showing of framework 6 in FIG. 2 and may, if desired, be formed in separate parts or in continuation of the framework or works 6. The construction permits that the roof, outer wall, inner wall and ceiling sections are formed from a single continuous sheet of metal or other material. The sections of the walls overlap each other in the same manner as described in regard of the roof and ceiling sections. Also the channels 9 may serve, if desired, similar purposes as the channels between the roof and ceiling sections. Also according to FIGURE 4 means 16, 18 are provided for supply of warm, fresh or cold air to the room 15 and conducting consumed air from the room 15, in similar manner as above described.

The lower ends of the building walls engage with anchoring studs or members 20 on a foundation or supporting plinths 21.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiments described with reference to the drawings. The cross-section of the roof and ceiling element may have the form of a substantially rectangular triangle and designed for a onesidedly inclining roof. Also the building element or unit may be formed in such a manner that the roof and ceiling Sections 2, 5 are parallel and/or the wall sections 12, 13

are parallel. The sheet material of the sections of the ceiling and the roof and the inner an outer walls may be reinforced in another manner than by corrugation, such as by flanges or ribs on one or both sides of the sheet. The outer sides of the roof sections 2 and the outer wall sections 12 and also the inner sides of the ceiling section 5 and the inner wall section 13 may have a covering layer of suitable kind. These layers may be placed on the sheet sections in the factory in which the building elements or units are made or the sections are finished with said layers on the building yard.

What I claim is:

1. A prefabricated house building element comprising a corrugated metal sheet roof section, a corrugated metal sheet ceiling section, a corrugated metal sheet framework provided by a plurality of spaced webs between said roof and ceiling sections, having upper and lower edges and extending continuously substantially along the whole width of said roof and ceiling sections, each of said webs being rigidly connected to said roof and ceiling sections by its upper and lower edges respectively so as to form therewith a reinforced truss structure, the length of the corrugations of said webs extending between the lower and upper edges thereof, and said corrugated sheet roof and ceiling sections and webs forming horizontal passages located side by side in parallel relation and having substantially triangular vertical cross-sections, the bases of said passages formed alternately by said roof section and said ceiling section.

2. A prefabricated house building element as claimed in claim 1 wherein said building element also includes a side wall member of the building, said side wall member being rigidly connected to said roof and ceiling sections and the framework between these sections, and said side wall member comprising an outer and an inner corrugated metal sheet wall section, a frame provided by corrugated metal sheet webs extending between said side wall sections, said side wall member with the framework thereof forming together with said roof and ceiling sections and said framework thereof a mountable rigid unit.

3. A prefabricated house building element as claimed in claim 1 wherein the upper and lower edges of said webs are undulated mating with the corrugations of said metal sheet roof and ceiling sections.

4. A prefabricated house building element as claimed in claim 1 wherein means are provided in connection with at least one of said passages for the supply of air to an area covered by said ceiling section and wherein means are provided in connection with at least a second of said passages for conducting air from said area.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 32,256 5/1861 Seely 18985 1,138,470 5/1915 Hackney 98-33 1,813,523 7/1931 Zimmerman 98-33 1,948,619 2/1934 Knutson 18985 2,415,240 2/ 1947 Fouhy 189-1 2,789,480 4/ 1957 Wellaver 18934 2,889,763 6/1959 Pine 9831 3,103,025 9/1963 Cassner 18934 MEYER PERLIN, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT A. OLEARY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PREFABRICATED HOUSE BUILDING ELEMENT COMPRISING A CORRUGATED METAL SHEET ROOF SECTION, A CORRUGATED METAL SHEET CEILING SECTON, A CORRUGATED METAL SHEET FRAMEWORK PROVIDED BY A PLURALITY OF SPACED WEBS BETWEEN SAID ROOF AND CEILING SECTIONS, HAVING UPPER AND LOWER EDGES AND EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE WHOLE WIDTH OF SAID ROOF AND CEILING SECTIONS, EACH OF SAID WEBS BEING RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO SAID ROOF AND CEILING SECTIONS BY ITS UPPER AND LOWER EDGES RESPECTIVELY SO AS TO FORM THEREWITH A REINFORCED TRUSS STRUCTURE, THE LENGTH OF ONE CORRUGATGIONS OF SAID WEBS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE LOWER AND UPPER EDGES THEREOF, AND SAID CORRUGATED SHEET ROOF AND CEILING SECTIONS AND WEBS FORMING HORIZONTAL PASSAGES LOCATED SIDE BY SIDE IN PARALLEL RELATION AND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY TRIANGULAR VERTICAL CROSS-SECTIONS, THE BASES OF SAID PASSAGES FORMED ALTERNATELY BY SAID ROOF SECTION AND SAID CEILING SECTION. 